Tackling Sulfation in Lead Acid Battery Repair

Dead Battery

Most of you will agree that a dead battery is such an inconveniencing expense. It is quite frustrating too.

Who loves getting stuck in a car that won’t start in the middle of nowhere praying some kind soul shows up to possibly aid you with some jumpstarting skills and cables?

Calling for a tow truck, replacing the battery, and the time lost can be significantly expensive, especially when the breakdown becomes a daily affair. Lead acid battery repair skills may not take care of your immediate problem, but it will eliminate the expense of purchasing a new battery and will help you avoid future break downs.

What’s more, you could use the skills to start a profitable business too. And the best thing about battery reconditioning is that the entire process is quite easy and inexpensive.

How do batteries die?

If you are keen on learning how you can repair lead acid batteries, it is imperative to first learn what makes batteries stop functioning as they should. Lead acid car batteries create electric power using lead plates immersed in sulfuric acid. The reaction creates electricity and another compound called lead sulfate.

In a new or healthy battery, the lead sulfate produced is usually broken down to lead and sulfuric acid during the charging process. However, in a tired old battery, or one that has been discharged over a long time, the lead sulfate crystallizes into a solid form instead of converting back to lead and sulfuric acid.

The crystalline lead sulfate coats the lead plates and wears out the battery’s performance. The battery can longer charge or create electric power. The process is known as sulfation and is quite normal in lead acid batteries. Sulfation is the major killer of car batteries.

Sulfation commonly occurs in lead acid batteries that do not get enough charge. It is common in batteries in city cars with plenty of accessories that require constant load of electricity. Cars driven on city roads hardly travel fast and are in most cases stuck in traffic jams. In such cases, the motor is usually idle or working at low speed which means it does not charge the battery as sufficiently as it should.

The problem is not just restricted to cars. Even electric wheelchairs often suffer sulfation. Users of electric wheelchairs often don’t charge the battery long enough to ensure it is fully charged. A lead acid battery needs at least 14 hours charging to reach full saturation, but hardly do wheelchair batteries get that amount of charging.

It is no surprise that wheelchair batteries hardly last more than two years. Golf cart batteries usually last longer than wheelchair batteries because they get fully charged overnight and whenever they are not in use.

There are many battery problems that stem from sulfation. It not only lowers the battery’s capacity, but also results in longer recharging times, creates high temperatures when the battery is working, and even increases the amount of corrosion inside the battery.

Can sulfation be reversed?

Oftentimes sulfation can be reversed and a dead battery can be brought back to life again. This restoration process involves the use of a special battery charger that sends a high current through the battery, breaking down the crystalline lead sulfate coat into lead and sulfuric acid. The high current actually cleans the lead plates and restores the battery’s charging capacity.

Some companies sell anti-sulfation devices that prevent sulfation from occurring on battery terminals. This type of technology is more of preventive but does not reverse the process once it has occurred inside the battery. Worse still, inducing a high current can possibly harm the battery and even promote grid corrosion. The best way to revive a battery that has adversely been affected by sulfation is by reconditioning it to its original state.

So when you see your car battery gone all gray with sulfation, the first thing you should consider is not to throw it away, but learn how to recondition it. Lead acid battery repair is not rocket science. Anyone can learn the skill and perform the repairs perfectly well.

You may even consider repairing dead batteries and selling them for a profit once you learn how it is done. You’ll only need a small investment, but the returns will be quite significant. All you need is a lead acid battery repair kit.